Eli Lilly gave extraordinary obesity drug access to a 79-year-old patient. Who was it?

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Source: STATnews

Eli Lilly gave extraordinary obesity drug access to a 79-year-old patient. Who was it?

Sources point to a single instance in which experimental therapy retatrutide was provided for 'compassionate use'

Alex Hogan/STAT

By Lizzy Lawrence June 23, 2026
FDA Reporter

WASHINGTON -- Millions of Americans with obesity are eagerly awaiting a powerful new drug from Eli Lilly called retatrutide, which has demonstrated bariatric-surgery levels of weight loss. Some aren't even waiting for approval from the Food and Drug Administration, instead racing to acquire it through sketchy means.

But STAT has learned that Eli Lilly and the FDA have allowed one person to gain access to the drug through the FDA's "compassionate use" program, a pathway that gives patients with serious and immediately life-threatening medical issues access to experimental treatments.

This person was a 79-year-old man at the time the request was made in April, according to three sources familiar with the matter. Those sources, who requested anonymity due to fear of reprisals, said it drew the interest of top health officials, suggesting the person receiving this drug was well connected.

{snip}

Read more: https://www.statnews.com/2026/06/23/eli-lilly-unusual-weight-loss-drug-trial-compassionate-use-retatrutide-trump/

---

Reposted by Kevin M. Kruse
https://bsky.app/profile/kevinmkruse.bsky.social

******
Eric Columbus
‪@ericcolumbus.bsky.social‬

Author asks if the patient was Trump — the White House won’t say.

‪Lizzy Lawrence‬
‪@lizzylawrence.bsky.social‬
· 1h
EXCLUSIVE: Eli Lilly gave compassionate use access to retatrutide, their unapproved powerful obesity drug, to a 79-year-old man in April. The application was arranged by a top doctor at NIH, and cleared by the FDA. www.statnews.com/2026/06/23/e...

Eli Lilly gave extraordinary obesity drug access to a 79-year-old patient. Who was it?
Exclusive: STAT has learned that Eli Lilly and the FDA allowed a 79-year-old to gain extraordinary access to an experimental obesity drug through the agency’s “compassionate use” program.
www.statnews.com
9:02 AM · Jun 23, 2026
******

Author asks if the patient was Trump — the White House won’t say.

— Eric Columbus (@ericcolumbus.bsky.social) 2026-06-23T13:02:45.206Z

[FakeNoose]

1. If it's Chump, then we know the drug doesn't work

[rurallib]

9. my first thought also

[mountain grammy]

19. Best laugh all morning

Thank you

[bucolic_frolic]

2. W.C. Fields?

[mahatmakanejeeves]

5. He died at the age of 66.

I would have had the answer sooner, but I was looking for "Dukenfeld," not "Dukenfield."

Wed Dec 25, 2024: On this day, December 25, 1946, William Claude Dukenfield, aka W. C. Fields, died.

[bucolic_frolic]

14. He reminds me of Trump

[Auggie]

32. But Fields was a fun clown. And I think he would have loathed Trump.

[tonkatoy8888]

3. Ooh, ooh, Mr. Kotter, Mr. Kotter

You get two guesses and the first one doesn't count.

I must say, Eli-Lily should do some more testing because it doesn't seem to have much effect on the Great Orange Whale.

[RockCreek]

4. Link is subscription

Raw Story summary: https://www.rawstory.com/donald-trump-2677082154/

No answer to the question of who it is.

[ToxMarz]

6. Is Trump trying to fit into his superhero leotard

[LetMyPeopleVote]

7. According to the RawStory link, the patient has obstructive sleep apnea and pulmonary hypertension,

None of trump's doctor's reports indicate sleep apnea. If trump does not use a CPAP machine properly, that could explain late night posts and falling asleep in meetings.
https://www.rawstory.com/donald-trump-2677082154/

Ranganath Muniyappa, senior clinician at the National Institutes of Health, requested the drug to treat the unidentified patient for refractory obesity with obstructive sleep apnea and pulmonary hypertension, which can be life-threatening, but three sources familiar with the matter told STAT the unusual request caught the attention of top health officials – and suggested the individual was well connected.

I have been on a CPAP machine for a long time. My pulmonary specialist reads the chip from the machine. I am at 98% compliance. I have trouble seeing trump using a CPAP.

[Marthe48]

29. I doubt we're getting a full story

Or accurate information about pedo. And if he wanted to try it, his yesmen medical team would say anything to get it.

[calimary]

31. THIS!!!

[Tim S]

8. Here's to hoping it's a Stage 1 drug trial

[Baitball Blogger]

10. What are the known side effects?

[dave99]

13. loss of balance, hair, mind, ....

[Hugin]

16. I'm no researcher...

But, I can see where such a powerful drug fat buster could make dementia worse fast. The brain’s mostly fat.

[Marthe48]

38. And we know he's a fathead

[GusBob]

11. Interesting.....

Sub-cue injections not IV? Does Trumpy have fear of needles?

[PatSeg]

20. He appears to have had numerous IVs

Even if he does have a fear of needles, I'm quite sure he's been exposed to them a lot this past year. Being he has to appear in public frequently, an IV for such medication could be very inconvenient, not to mention his overblown vanity.

[ananda]

12. I did wonder if Trump was taking something for weight loss.

But I didn't know about this new drug.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

15. Somehow this just came to mind, from Carter era:

Reposted by Kevin M. Kruse
https://bsky.app/profile/kevinmkruse.bsky.social

James Fallows
‪@jfallows.bsky.social‬

Somehow this just came to mind, from Carter era:

—On flight back from int'l conference, then-SecState Cyrus Vance gave reporters "background" briefing, for attrib only to "a senior gov official."

—NYT ran story next day

—Alongside story was photo of Vance, w caption saying "a senior gov official"

‪Lizzy Lawrence‬
‪@lizzylawrence.bsky.social‬
· 3h
EXCLUSIVE: Eli Lilly gave compassionate use access to retatrutide, their unapproved powerful obesity drug, to a 79-year-old man in April. The application was arranged by a top doctor at NIH, and cleared by the FDA.
https://www.statnews.com/2026/06/23/eli-lilly-unusual-weight-loss-drug-trial-compassionate-use-retatrutide-trump/

Eli Lilly gave extraordinary obesity drug access to a 79-year-old patient. Who was it?
Exclusive: STAT has learned that Eli Lilly and the FDA allowed a 79-year-old to gain extraordinary access to an experimental obesity drug through the agency’s “compassionate use” program.
www.statnews.com
10:12 AM · Jun 23, 2026

Somehow this just came to mind, from Carter era:

—On flight back from int'l conference, then-SecState Cyrus Vance gave reporters "background" briefing, for attrib only to "a senior gov official."

—NYT ran story next day

—Alongside story was photo of Vance, w caption saying "a senior gov official"

— James Fallows (@jfallows.bsky.social) 2026-06-23T14:12:07.466Z

[bluedigger]

17. And they say Trump has no respect for tradition.

Secretive drug trials on perceived individuals of low value has long been part of US policy.

[Happy Hoosier]

18. Did they give him GLP-1's at all?

I mean GLP-1's are out there, and apparently very effective.

But as I understand, they just suppress appetite. If a guy wants to guzzle hamberders, he can.

[PatSeg]

21. Interesting question

Knowing what we do about the man, I would assume that he would have opted for GLP-1 if his doctors were to permit it. Perhaps we need to look to the side effects for GLP-1 and compare them to what we've witnessed with Trump.

[NewEnglandAutumn]

27. LOL

heartburn, stomach pain, diarrhea, slow gastric emptying etc

[PatSeg]

34. Starting to add up I think

[Dr. T]

22. I believe caffeine also suppresses appetite.

I can buy a bottle of caffeine pills for $5.

[TheRickles]

23. This one does a couple of additional things beyond GLP-1's.

From Google AI:
Retatrutide is an experimental, once-weekly injectable medication developed by Eli Lilly that is currently in late-stage clinical trials. It functions as a "triple-agonist," targeting three different hormone receptors (GLP-1, GIP, and glucagon) to suppress appetite, regulate blood sugar, and increase energy expenditure

So they're probably trying this after a GLP-1 has failed.

[PatSeg]

35. "Increase energy expenditure"

That could explain the periodic boosts in energy and mild coherence, especially when he can't avoid public appearances.

[NewEnglandAutumn]

26. one of the worst possible outcomes

is slow gastric emptying and it can be permanent. People with digestive issues like colitis etc. are not supposed to take them.

[TexasBushwhacker]

37. I have a former boss who weighed 325 lbs

He's 64. Unlike Trump, he's also an alcoholic. He needs a hip replacement, but his doctor won't do the surgery until he loses 50 lbs. He and his wife took Wegovy.
VShe liked it because she got down to her goal weight. He didn't like it because it reduced his appetite for food AND alcohol, and those were 2 of the 3 pleasures he still had in life (the other being hunting). I've stayed in touch with his daughter and she fully expects him to be dead soon.

Considering Trump is such a big baby, I doubt he would be happy taking something that took away his appetite. What pleasures does he have other than eating like a skinny teenager?

[Happy Hoosier]

39. I'm currently trying Zepbound at a low dose.

I lost a lost a lot of weight 4 years ago with no help, but couldn't shed that 20 pounds. My doc suggested the low dose zepbound mainly to supress certain hormones that he thought might be causing the plateau.

TBH, I could easily forget to eat if I didn't remind myself (and actually enjoy eating). I don't feel hunger, really, just that slightly empty feeling one gets just before feeling hungry. Seems to be working for me... But it is expensive!

[Tetrachloride]

24. side effects include hair loss

and animal magnetism

[Wicked Blue]

33. It also promotes the growth of green algae

[NewEnglandAutumn]

25. Read the side effects

heartburn, stomach pain, diarrhea, (oddly) constipation, nausea are some

[barbtries]

28. i'll go out on a limb and suggest

that the patient is otherwise known as the mad king.

remember when he had covid and got everything under the sun. he should have died then. but it could be said he was well connected.

[llmart]

30. With his lifestyle, bad habits and obesity...

why doesn't anyone ever question if he's diabetic?

[GenThePerservering]

36. He can be the lab rat. That's fine.

[pat_k]

40. But at 6'3" 238 lbs his BMI is 29.7 -- under the obese threshold of 30.

So why would a man who is not obese, according to his doctors, be in such desperate need as to qualify for "compassionate use."

Of course we know he is actually something like 320 with a BMI of 40, which is the clinical threshold for severe or morbid obesity. Guess that would qualify a "well-connected" man for compassionate use to treat life threatening obesity.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

41. MS NOW- White House denies Trump applied for 'compassionate use' for weight loss drug

An unnamed 79-year-old man was reportedly granted special access to the drug retatrutide through a “compassionate use” program.

White House denies Trump applied for ‘compassionate use’ for weight loss drug.

An unnamed 79-year-old man was reportedly granted special access to the drug retatrutide through a “compassionate use” program.

www.ms.now/news/white-h...

— TheBlackPage (Woke, DEI forever against fascism) (@theblackpage.bsky.social) 2026-06-23T23:21:33.054Z

https://www.ms.now/news/white-house-trump-weight-loss-drug

The White House on Tuesday denied that President Donald Trump applied for access to an experimental obesity drug not yet on the market after Stat News reported that a 79-year-old man was approved to take it.

The health and science news outlet Stat News reported that the Food and Drug Administration and drug manufacturer Eli Lilly allowed one person — a 79-year-old man — special access to the drug retatrutide through a “compassionate use” program, citing three sources familiar with the matter. Those sources, Stat News reported, requested anonymity due to fear of reprisals.

According to the FDA, compassionate use is a “pathway for a patient with a serious or immediately life-threatening disease or condition to gain access to an investigational medical product (drug, biologic, or medical device) for treatment outside of clinical trials when no comparable or satisfactory alternative therapy options are available.”....

But on Tuesday, hours after the Stat News report was published, White House spokesman Kush Desai said on X that the “application was not for the President.” He went on to publicly bash the report’s author, Lizzy Lawrence, accusing her of being an “unserious gossip columnist.”

Lawrence responded on X that she had asked Desai, the FDA and HHS “multiple times” on Monday whether the application was for Trump. “No one answered my question directly,” she wrote. Desai called the report “baseless speculation” in a follow-up post.

The patient who received this drug "suffered from refractory obesity with obstructive sleep apnea and pulmonary hypertension."

National Institutes of Health Senior Clinician Ranganath Muniyappa requested the drug to treat the patient, who suffered from refractory obesity with obstructive sleep apnea and pulmonary hypertension, Stat News reported. Muniyappa, who did not respond to the outlet’s request for comment, reportedly recommended against bariatric surgery because of the patient’s age and medical conditions.

The patient also took tirzepatide, an FDA-approved obesity drug by Lilly, for one year, “but experienced only moderate weight loss,” Stat News reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.

trump has not lost any significant weight over the last year and so that does NOT rule trump out. I have obstructive sleep apnea and have been using a CPAP for a very long time. I seriously doubt that trump is capable of using a CPAP machine correctly and consistently which could account for trump's strange hours and trump falling asleep in meetings.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

42. MS NOW-Sen. Maggie Hassan questions Trump administration over mystery weight loss drug patient

“This decision to bend the rules comes as millions of Americans are clamoring for access to these kinds of life-changing drugs,” Hassan wrote in a letter shared exclusively with MS NOW.

Sen. Maggie Hassan questions Trump administration over mystery weight loss drug patient - MS NOW apple.news/ANIqbYizyQ9u...

— (@oc88.bsky.social) 2026-06-25T04:39:20.154Z

https://www.ms.now/news/maggie-hassan-retatrutide-patient-white-house

Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., on Wednesday questioned the Trump administration over the mystery individual who got exclusive access to a new weight loss drug that is not available to the general public.

Hassan penned a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. expressing concern over reports that a “well-connected individual,” whom she suggested is President Donald Trump, received special, free access to the experimental weight loss drug retatrutide.

The New Hampshire Democrat shared the letter with MS NOW in an exclusive interview with “The Weeknight.”

“We’ve got somebody highly connected in this administration who’s making special deals for one person and it just speaks to the whole way this administration operates,” Hassan told MS NOW. “They’re thinking about the highly connected, the wealthy.”

In her letter to Kennedy, the congresswoman said she was concerned that the administration was “bending the rules” by giving an individual special access to the drug through the Food and Drug Administration.

“I am deeply concerned by new reporting that suggests you may be bending the rules of a federal program, and exerting improper political pressure, in order to provide a well-connected individual with free access to an exclusive prescription drug,” the senator wrote to Kennedy.